Wellington lawyer John Hassan has been appointed as a new Environment and District Court judge to serve in Christchurch.
Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson says Mr Hassan specialises in resource management and environmental law.
He was an in-house solicitor for the Government in the 1980s and 90s, and was the principal legal adviser during the development of the Resource Management Act.
The appointment was announced on Wednesday, and Judge Hassan will be sworn in at the end of January in Wellington.
